The precession and nutation of deformable bodies, III

Abstract

In preceding papers of this series (Kopal, 1968; 1969) the Eulerian equations have been set up which govern the precession and nutation of self-gravitating fluid globes of arbitrary structures in inertial coordinates (space-axes) as well as with respect to the rotating body axes; with due account being taken of the effects arising from equilibrium as well as dynamical tides. In Section 1 of the present paper, the explicit form of these equations is recapitulated for subsequent solations. Section 2 contains then a detailed discussion of the coplanar case (in which the equation of the rotating configuration and the plane of its orbit coincide with the invariable plane of the system); and small fluctuations in the angular velocity of axial rotation arising from the ‘tidal breathing’ in eccentric binary systems are investigated. In Section 3, we consider the angular velocity of rotation about theZ′-axis to be constant, but allow for finite inclination of the equator to the orbital plane. The differential equations governing such a problem are set up exactly in terms of the time-dependent Eulerian angles θ and ϕ, and their coefficients averaged over a cycle. In Section 4, these equations are linearized by the assumption that the inclinations of the equator and the orbit to the invariable plane of the system are small enough for their squares to be negligible; and the equations of motion reduced to their canonical form. The solution of these equations — giving the periods of precession and nutation of rotating components of close binary systems, as well as the rate of nodal regression which is synchronised with precession — are expressed in terms of the physical properties of the respective system and of its constituent components; while the concluding Section 6 contains a discussion of the results, in which the differences between the precession and nutation of rigid and fluid bodies are pointed out.